You have already installed a solar power system? Congratulations! Good choice. Be sure you will be satisfied with its performance for a long term. Solar panels, as a rule, work so well that you hardly notice any problem. However you should take care them time to time.
Here are some tips to take care solar panels.
- How to clean solar panels? Solar panels are generally self cleaning, but in particularly dry areas or where panel tilt is minimal, dust and other substances such as bird droppings can impact on the amount electricity generated by a module. You had better clean your panels from the ground. A good quality soft brush and a squeegee with a plastic blade on one side and a cloth covered sponge on the other coupled with a long extension can make for the perfect tools allowing you to stay on the ground. If it is impossible, don’t try to access your rooftop unless you have the appropriate safety equipment and training. You can also hire a suitably qualified professional to do that work. Clean your panels early in the morning or in the evening. If the sun is beating down on the panels, any water used can quickly evaporate and dirt will become smeared. Don’t use detergents if possible as these may streak the glass of the panel. Use of abrasive powders also risks scratchig the panels.
- Solar panels should be out of the shade. Shade on solar panels actually works exponentially, not proportionally, to reduce panel output. So if ¼ of the panel is shaded, you’re not losing ¼ of that panel, you’re likely losing more than half. If the panels can’t do their job, you’re losing money. So you should make sure that there are no new shade issues that weren’t there when the system was installed.
- Energy use. One of the easiest methods of checking on the amount of energy your solar panel is producing is to install an energy monitor. These systems can range from very simple display-only meters to a sophisticated, comprehensive monitoring system. The monitor helps you avid the shock of receiving a large bill from your conventional energy provider if your solar thermal system is underperforming.
- Keep a record of your panels’ performance. You should just write down what your system has produced for the day. Keeping daily accounting will help you determine if your system is still working, but maybe just not producing what is used to.
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